Copper-aluminum alloy.



boracic acid and UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD D. GLEASON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO FRANK JOHN ROESLER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

COPPER-ALUMIN UM ALLOY.

No Drawing.

Specification oi Letters Ila-tent.

Patented @ct.28,1913.

Application filed October 22, 1912. serial No. 727,107.

To all la/2.0m, at may concern: I

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. GL'EASON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Copper-Aluminum Alloys, whereof the following is a specification.

My invention relates to alloys the principal ingredient of which is copper, and an object thereof is to provide suchalloys including a given percentage of copper but of difi'erent degrees of hardness.

I In practising my invention I incorporate boron in aluminum, as graphite exists in cast iron, by fusing them in a crucible, free from impurities, with a flux consisting of native calcium fluo'rid and fused vitrified boracic acid. For instance, in a crucible of magnesite, or graphite free from arsenic balls; I put three parts of calcium fluorid and on top of that, one part of fused vitrified boracic acid. I then fuse the same,

preferably in an oxyhydrogen furnace of ordinary commercial type, until the fused mass of said two ingredients has reached the proper consistency; which is manifested dense fumes of boron fluorid arising from the crucible. I then inject into the fused mass pure aluminum in ingot form. As aluminum melts at a comparatively low temperature,'it fuses and absorbs the gases freed from the other ingredients. said mass is fused, the molten aluminum is between two layer acting as a cover preventing oxidizetion, While the lower layer mixes with the molten aluminum. Thereupon, I cast the mixture of calcium fluorid, fused vitrified pure aluminum as ingots; the mass being well stirred and allowed to stand for a few minutes, in the crucible, before being poured. I then melt 90 parts of pure copper, in a crucible, under a cover of charcoal and black oxid of manganese, and while the copper is' at high temperature I add thereto an amount slightly in excessvof 10 parts of the boron aluminum product aforesaid. p T

It may be observed that in the ordinary foundry practice of l/Vhen,

layers ofboron fluorid, the top making aluminum bronze, there is a rise in temperature upon the inclusion of the aluminum in the fused copper, which does not occur in practising my invention aforesaid, and the product of my invention has entirely different characteristics from those of ordinary aluminum bronze. For instance, aluminum per .96 has the property of absorbing a large percentage of oxygen, forming aluminum oxid, and, when ordinary aluminum bronze is rolled to form sheets or drawn to form Wire,

the oxid of aluminum appears as minute black spots in said products resulting in the commercial failure thereof. ()n the contrary, no aluminum oxid appears with my improved alloy, for the reason that boron in combining with aluminum removes the oxygen and dissolved gases, and, my aluminum boron alloy aforesaid, containing boron in excess, removes the dissolved gases and oxygen from the copper, when combining with the latter. Moreover, a trace of metallic manganese is left in the copper from the cover and fiux of black oxid of manganese and facilitates the deoxidizing efiect aforesaid; so that rolled sheets of my improved alloy are found to be free from aluminum oxid upon microscopic inspection. J

My'improved alloy may be made in any desireddegree of hardness with the same percentage of copper by adding aluminum Withmore or less boron; the different deees of hardness being readily manifested h; a Shore sch'leroscope. For instance, my improved alloy consisting of 90 parts copper and 10 parts boron aluminum may bemade so .hard as to be advantageously en1- ployed in the manufacture of edge tools; said alloy being-capable of being forged into hatchet heads, etc., or, rolled hot into sheets from which blades for knives or safety razors maybe formed; it being char acteristic of said alloy that it resists corrosion, and the action of acids to a limited degree, and holds'its edge as well as steel.

1 do not desire to limit myself to the precisemethods of procedure or proportions herein set forth as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein Without departing from my invention as defined in 3. An alloy consisting" of 90 parts copper 1n the appended claims. ancllO parts of boron aluminum.

1 claim In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 1. An alloy consisting of boron, copper signed my name, at Brooklyn, New York, 5 and aluminum. this nineteenth day of October, 1912.

2. A process consisting of fusing calcium EDWARD D. GLEASON. fluoricl and vitrified borzrcic acid and adding Witnesses: aluminum thereto; and, adding the mixture HENRY J. MEYER,

of said three ingredients to molten copper. BENJAMIN ZEKOWSKI. 

